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May 16, 2012

My Winter at the Salton Sea 2012

Life has been so busy I have fallen behind on blogging and visiting as well. While at our winter home at the Salton Sea in California life took on a pace that consumed all my time and left me going to bed very early. While there we had no internet and no TV, but so much to keep us busy. Even now upon returning back to our home in British Columbia I have been so busy and no time to spend at the computer.

I apologize for the length of the blog, just needed to get it all in on one as who know when I will have time in the near future. Will be busy gardening for a few more weeks.

This whole blog and creating all the collages was done on a short camping trip we are on while I type this. I just don’t seem to have time at home with work in my face everywhere I look. But I have been feeling much better this past 4 months not sitting for long periods at the computer like I use to do. So enough typing and lets see what kept me so busy at my winter home near the Salton Sea in California from February to end of April.

Ok landscaping, landscaping and keeping up on previous landscaping. The lower picture in this collage is when we bought the house. The upper one is how it looks now. We have added so much landscaping already in the 2 winters we have spent there.

At this angle the lower photo show how the house looks now. We put all the landscaping in ourselves. We also had to put in underground water supply to every plant, tree, shrub or flower we plant. This is all on timers and always pray each summer everything works or we could loose a lot.

We put on a new paver patio. I got my center Island planter fill now with many varieties of desert plants. I also created a dry creek bed next to a strip of desert scape. It is not finished so more to add to it next year. The bed is made of barnacles that pile up on the beach of the Salton Sea. Free to shovel and use for landscaping. The desert is full of rocks for borders and accents. Many cactus and palms were from neighbours or our other landscaped lot you will see later in these photos.

The previous photos were where our house is we just bought a couple years ago. These next 2 photos are a vacant lot we have right on the Salton Sea. We spent a couple winter here in our motorhome and began landscaping it, also with all underground watering system on timer. The top photos in this collage show what it looks like now and the bottom show before we hand cleared the weeds to begin landscaping. This particular weed comes back most years and requires hand pulling over and over again. This year we were spared the extra work and only a few came as there wasn’t any heavy rains during the winter.

More of our landscaping at our lot on the Salton Sea. Most the big plants have basins around them that have to be re-dug out every year as blowing sand fills them in. This allows a place for the water to fill when the automatic water systems comes on. Also at all the cactus, smaller tubes for delivering smaller amounts of water and must be all readjusted each year to ensure every plant is getting the right amount of water along with adjusting water to every plant. Many friends ask why we didn’t build there. The lot is very big which always overwhelmed me when I would look out at all the work we would create for ourselves. Also the cost of buying the mobile home we bought on the other lot all ready to just move in was so cheap at the time and I didn’t feel overwhelmed with all the work. When visiting our vacant lot I still get overwhelmed seeing the work just to keep up what landscaping we did put in.

When spring arrives late March and early April our lot and place where we have our house comes alive with color.

All the hard work shows the rewards of the years of cultivating in the desert.

Yes the sea was right there, but somehow this year I didn’t spend much time down near it.

But it was not all work and no play we did have a very full social life as well. So many fund raiser we attended like this hobo stew were everyone dresses like a hobo and brings a can of vegetable to add to a stock pot that is served later in the cans. I did manage to get 2nd place in the hobo costume contest. I am in the middle of the 3 girls together.

Another fund raiser is Old Farts Weekend. We only attended one day. Its where everyone in desert vehicles participates in fun games with the vehicles. Like driving a course blind with your co-pilot directing you. Always lots of laughs watching these guys trying to manoeuvre thru the different events. We were only spectators this year but next year want to participate in the games.

A get together and barbecue for all the couple line dancer as well as the single line dancers put on by the instructor. I took line dancing lessons every week all winter and now know at least 5 or 6 dances. Yes all these old people love to dance. And yes you will see a lot of very old people down here in this area. I once called it the Elephant dyeing grounds.

The local watering hole where we all meet up on Saturday nights to show off our line dancing, shed a few pounds doing the twist and sing Karaoke. I even got up with a couple friends to sing. Occasionally some young people showed up and the place really got hopping.

We did occasional have guests come for a visit. This little guy came trotting down the road and headed right for out bird bath for a drink and cool off. Then just left.

This guest I wanted to stay, but she feared people. I named her Sheaba. She was a stray who had a pit-bull friend who had a home, but they didn’t want Sheaba. Sheaba was starving. The dogs that have been abandoned in this area would break an animal lovers heart. I could see her and the pit-bull were such close friends. The owners of the pit-bull called the dog catcher many times trying to get Sheaba picked up as she would dig into their fenced yard to let their pit-bull out, but they couldn’t catch her as she feared people. However the owners of the pit-bull told me she had be in their backyard and had seen Sheaba playing with her children along with the their pit-bull. I thought there is a soft spot in her.

So began my attempt to gain her trust. For over a month she came for food every morning and night. You can see in the photos how scared and tense she was when she came. When she would come with the pit-bull I would make great strides with her as the pit-bull was so friendly and would come up to me. At first if I came outside she would get no nearer then 300 feet and then would just leave. Or I could be near, but only thru the window of the house. Then one day she came when I was outside working in the yard and didn’t notice she had come to the food bowl, which was only about 30 feet away. I just sat with my back to her and slowing turned for a couple photos.

One night she came with the pit-bull and I had some steak bones for treats. When the pit-bull came for her treat, Sheaba also came and took the bone out of my hand and left immediately. The next day they both came and while petting the pit-bull, Sheaba came up also and I was able to pet her briefly. This all starting taking place only about a week before we were to head back North. The problem was if the Pit-bull did not come with her. She would only eat and leave. She would not come up to me to be petted. She did come and take a treat out of my hand. But she would always leave immediately with no interest in getting to know me and want to return to where the pit-bull lived. At the end I was able to sit next to her with about 1 foot at least while she ate here food. But always when outside near her I had to be sitting, if I stood up she would run away.

It was time to leave and I know I couldn’t just catch her and throw her in a car to get her rabies shot then force her on a trip for 3 days to a strange place before even having gained her trust. So I had to leave her behind and hope she does get caught in a live trap by the dog catcher. I am watching there site if she shows up at their kennel. I will then contact an organization to take her till I return next year. But she really needs to be accessed first to see if she can learn to trust an adult again. I would rather see her caught and put down then starve to death in the desert. Dogs can and have survived there, but this year there wasn’t the new plant life to support the rabbits, so there won’t be many of them. Also if she hadn’t been fixed she will get pregnant. No one I knew down there that stays the summer wanted the responsibility of feeding her.

My heart is broken over this dog. But life has to go on.

With the sunrises and sunsets God always gives me a reason to be hopeful for a new day and thankful for the day I had.

During one of the fund raisers auctions we bid on a one night stay in Palm Springs. So got to be real tourists and enjoy a night at a fancy resort right down town.

Well so ends our winter at the Salton Sea as we journeyed back up North to our home in British Columbia.

I know there was a time I blogged and visited very regularly, however life has changed for me in ways that are good. So if you find my visits and new blogs very far in between, don’t worry I am just keeping busy in other ways. I still did not finish my book I was trying to make on my blogs from God’s Garden of Nature . So much more work then I expected with having to format so many pages differently. So as I am limiting time here at the computer many things may come very slowing for me here. I am stopping to smell the flowers, not just take pictures of them anymore.

Well time to pack up the motorhome and head back home I am so glad I was able to spend some time at least getting this blog out. Yes I did take lots of photos here at the lake and had a beautiful view out the windows. Went for a few hikes as well. Well share all this when I have time to put another blog together on my next camping trip.

So may your life be so filled and remember to take the time to stop and smell the flowers.And have a Good Morning… Good Afternoon… Good Night…Whatever it may be to you.

12 comments:

I really enjoyed seeing your photos and reading about your adventures around Salton Sea. And I fervently hope Sheaba is there when you return next year. It is indeed hard to do all you have done, and you should be so proud of what you have accomplished. Don't worry about keeping up your blog. It is perfect.

I'm having a tough time keeping up with my blogging and visiting as well, Carrie so I understand where you're coming from.

I sure hope Sheaba's there waiting when you return. Buddy was mistreated before we adopted him. The scars on his body, his instant bonding with me and distrust for anyone else made me wonder what horrors he had experienced. It also made me want to get my hands on whoever it was that mistreated such a loyal and loving animal. Then we rescued Molly from the shelter 2 hours before she was to be put down. How can people just abandon animals?

Yeah, over at wp or other social networks I'm not always the greatest at getting around the internet depending on circumstances, but I do like to make the rounds and keep in touch. The place looks great there. unfortunate timing with Sheeba though; seems like you were really begining to bond, and she finally starting to with you also. I hope & pray all will work out for the best some how - big hugs,smiles("-")

You had the most beautiful winter vacation. Pets and all. Sorry about that one.Loved each and every photo. Hope your keeping well now that your back . Seems like each day I find something new to do and exciting but I do miss my blogging from day to day.

Carrie, thanks for visiting.My internet is slow as I use wifi on my new smart phone, truly a new kink for me. I love your Winter home and all that you've done. I do hope and pray that Sheaba will be safe and cared for.

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About Me

My world is tucked away in a valley in British Columbia Canada, where my husband and I spend our days living close to nature. I enjoy raiseing a lot of my own food and love to be surrounded by flowers. Being creative for me is capturing the beauty that is always to be found with my camera and sharing thoughts, quotes, poems and stories along with my photos.